College, chamber host mayoral forums

Published on: September 18, 2015

City of Houston residents have several decisions to make on Election Day.

During early voting or on Tuesday, Nov. 3, residents will have an opportunity to select the top two city of Houston mayoral candidates that will likely enter a runoff in December. To help citizens become informed voters, Lone Star College-Kingwood and the Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce will host mayoral forums at the college starting at the end of September.

“The forums, co-sponsored with the chamber, will give community members an opportunity to meet and hear from the major candidates running for mayor,” said Dr. John Theis, political science professor at LSC-Kingwood and director of the Center for Civic Engagement. “The goal is to help constituents (including students) gather information to help them make informed choices at the polls.”

The mayoral forums will feature candidates Ben Hall on Sept. 28, Chris Bell on Sept. 30, Bill King on Oct. 14 and Adrian Garcia on Oct. 15. The first three forums are at 7 p.m. and Garcia’s forum is at 6:30 p.m. In addition to helping constituents make informed choices, students and the community will be encouraged to reach out to the candidates and ask questions regarding topics that are important to them.

“This forum will allow me to gain knowledge on the various candidates and their platforms,” said Nick Jones, student. “I’m interested in hearing their take on the cost of education and healthcare.”

According to student David Reyna, he wants to know what the candidates hope to accomplish as the mayor of Houston.

“I don’t have health insurance, so I want to know what the candidates are going to try to do to get Medicaid expanded in Texas,” Reyna said.

Register now for credit classes online through myLoneStar. Classes are offered days, evenings, or weekends in traditional, Internet, video, TV and independent study formats. For more information on how to register online, visit www.lonestar.edu/registration.

Lone Star College System has been opening doors to a better community for 40 years. Founded in 1973, LSCS remains steadfast in its commitment to student success and credential completion. Today, with 78,000 students in credit classes, and a total enrollment of more than 90,000, Lone Star College System is the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area and the fastest-growing community college system in the nation. Dr. Stephen C. Head is the chancellor of LSCS, which consists of six colleges including LSC-CyFair, LSC-Kingwood, LSC-Montgomery, LSC-North Harris, LSC-Tomball and LSC-University Park, five centers, LSC-University Center at Montgomery, LSC-University Center at University Park, Lone Star Corporate College, and LSC-Online. To learn more visit LoneStar.edu.